What is Happening to My Lens?

1Dx4me wrote:

Ray UK wrote:

I very much doubt that you have damaged the coating, it is much tougher than people believe, often it is harder than the glass underneath it.

I have never used Pancro lens cleaner but I expect it is just a soap solution in purified water like most cheap lens cleaners.

I think you have just dispersed the sunscreen and spread it over the surface, if it is an oil based sunscreen then you need isopropol to clean it off which will actually dissolve the oil. Apply the isopropol to a soft tissue, wipe the lens and discard the tissue, repeat as necessary with a fresh tissue each time until all trace of the oil has gone. finally clean the lens with a tissue and lens cleaner. Do not at any time drip any fluid directly onto the lens surface.

Any marks like this will not really affect the sharpness of the lens but will make it more like to show flare and loss of contrast.

i strongly disagree! i never use any kind of liquid (lens cleaner) on my lenses for any reason, except for a damp MF cloth--even for suntan lotion. using alcohol on a lens? no way...that is bad advise!

Isopropyl alcohol and acetone (a much stronger solvent) are used every day to clean an enormous number of lenses.  It is fine, but each coating must be evaluated for its durability when exposed to these chemicals.  A select few coatings are not resilient enough to this sort of chemical attack.